Lake Placid to Host 2029 FIL World Championships
Share:
by Gordy Sheer
USA Luge/ORDA at the FIL Congress.
Lake Placid, New York will host the 2029 FIL Luge World Championships. The best sliders from around the globe will compete at the Olympic Sports Complex on Mount Van Hoevenberg. The announcement was made at the FIL World Congress in Tampere, Finland.
USA Luge and the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority successfully entered the bid on behalf of Lake Placid.
The United States hosted the World Championships three times, two of which were in Lake Placid. In 2009, Erin Hamlin became the first woman to win a World Championship gold medal in United States history. Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin also won their fifth-career World Championship bronze medal. In 1983, Miro Zayonc took gold for Canada in the men’s competition. Zayonc, a Czechoslovakian defector, moved to the United States and was a member of the 1988 Olympic team. He still lives in Lake Placid.
Park City, Utah was the host of the 2005 event, where Grimmette and Martin also took a bronze medal.
The Olympic Sports Complex luge track is currently undergoing upgrades to its refrigeration system and spectator areas. This part of an ongoing series of improvements supported by New York State.
Beyond marking the 20th anniversary of the last Lake Placid World Championship, 2029 will also mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of USA Luge.
Quotes
Emily Fischnaller, 2 X Olympian: "Lake Placid is my home and it means everything to me that the World Championships will be held right here."
Scott Riewald, CEO of USA Luge: "In 2029, we will celebrate 50 years of USA Luge, 20 years after the last World Championships here. Our experience, innovative spirit, and commitment to sustainability make Lake Placid the ideal host."
Ashley Walden, 2002 Olympian in luge and ORDA CEO: “We are currently renovating the facilities from the 1980 Olympic Games, including a new start house for women and doubles, sustainable cooling systems, state-of-the-art video, lighting, and timing technology, and much more.”
Thank you to the FIL for providing assisitance in this article.
